


Of the Twentieth of December and Something Poorly Hidden

by Thegreenofyoureyes



Series: Christmas Fics 2015 [20]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 04:02:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5482589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenofyoureyes/pseuds/Thegreenofyoureyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps Michael should've known something was up. Luke and Ashton had been getting closer recently, for sure, but it wasn't just that. All four of the boys were close, only in a rough way. Luke and Ashton were rough too, sometimes. Of course, there were jokes and playful slaps, but sometime recently things had gotten… softer between them. </p><p>It was a distinct change, though perhaps a gradual one, and not entirely recent. As such, Michael let any fleeting thoughts slide away without worry. Every single individual event could be explained away. Added together, it was, of course slightly more… Indicative.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of the Twentieth of December and Something Poorly Hidden

**Author's Note:**

> Day 20! Sorry this one is up so late! Lots of stuff happened today so I didn't have time to write. @Tanniri on Tumblr was too tired to read this after playing with a 4 year old, but she is still lovely. Thanks for reading!

Perhaps Michael should've known something was up. Luke and Ashton had been getting closer recently, for sure, but it wasn't just that. All four of the boys were close, only in a rough way. Luke and Ashton were rough too, sometimes. Of course, there were jokes and playful slaps, but sometime recently things had gotten… softer between them. 

It was a distinct change, though perhaps a gradual one, and not entirely recent. As such, Michael let any fleeting thoughts slide away without worry. Every single individual event could be explained away. Added together, it was, of course slightly more… Indicative. 

Michael, Calum, Luke, and Ashton were all sat in their small living room. It had stopped snowing around noon, but the cold kept even Ashton in. It was dark now, and the room was dim apart from the movie that was tapering down and the soft glow of the streetlight outside filtering gold in through the blinds. 

Three of them, Luke, Michael, and Calum, were squished together on the small sofa, while Ashton was sat on the floor below Luke. Luke was playing with Ashton’s curls softly, always softly. Ashton was leaning into it a bit. Just enough. Michael chose to ignore it. 

It was a bit cute, though, honestly. The way they sat so close, how often they touched. They even looked good together. The light touched them differently, bringing out the soft pink of Ashton’s lips and the hard line of his jaw. Luke, on the other hand, looked a bit like an angel. The slats created darkened lines on both their faces, but somehow the light was present enough to see that they… belonged. 

It was so comfortable. Ashton was on the floor, not even on a pillow. Still, somehow, he was totally at peace. His legs were probably falling asleep. Although Ashton was bound to have better blood flow than Michael, it was still, to some extent, basic human biology. Luke, too, was contorted in ways that seemed not quite possible, simply to touch Ashton that little bit more. 

So, maybe not noticing, letting it slip out of his mind, wasn't quite working for Michael. It was all a bit weird, wasn't it? The way they always found time to be alone together, their newfound softness, how they would always jump to defend each other? He wouldn't have minded, of course, were they genuinely together. It was all just a little odd. 

The movie was over now, and Michael was shook back from his thoughts when Calum got up from the couch, stretching. 

“I'm gonna go to bed now,” he said, walking sleepily to his room.

“Same, actually” Michael said, standing up as well. And oh. 

This was unusual. Ashton was a bit of an old man on nights not specifically reserved for staying up late. As such, he had fully expected to see Ashton, and thus Luke, in tow up to their rooms. They weren't, though. Instead, Ashton had repositioned himself on the couch, and was cuddled gently into Luke. Last Michael could remember, Ashton wasn't a fan of cuddles. 

“You two staying down there, then?” Michael asked. He had turned the TV off, and neither of the two blonds seemed to be making a move to remedy the situation. 

“For a bit, yeah,” Ashton replied, “not really tired yet, you know?” 

It was a lie. The normal sparkle of energy present in Ashton’s eyes had been replaced with a languid gleam instead. There was still life, happiness, found amongst the hazel, but he was certainly tired. Luke was too. The younger boy shared Michael’s alabaster complexion, and thus the deep purple moons that would appear under his eyes whenever his lack of sleep caught up to him. He let it slide. It was probably nothing. 

“Alright. Be quiet when you come up the stairs though, yeah? Don't need Calum to be grumpy tomorrow. And have fun doing whatever,” Michael finished, shutting the door to his room. 

The house was small, and it tended to be a bit cold in the winter. As such, Michael had a little heater running in his room 24/7. It made his little room toasty warm, and also really *really* fucking dry. 

He tried his best to ignore the tingling in his throat. He did. It's just… He thought he had water, so taking a sip from an empty bottle had only made him more aware of the discomfort. 

Luke and Ashton thought he had gone to bed. They had stayed up. Clearly, they wanted to be alone, for whatever reason. He didn't want to disturb them, though. 

It was useless. He absolutely could not sleep with how dry his throat was. There was no possibility of it. He had to get up and go get some water. 

Reluctantly, Michael pulled himself out of the comfort of his bed and began walking. Staying quiet all the way, as not to wake Calum, he was halfway down the stairs. That's when he saw it. 

This wasn't something that could be explained away, disregarded like all the other snippets he had collected. 

Luke and Ashton were cuddled up on the couch, under a blanket. The TV still wasn't on, so they were only lit by the street light from outside. Gently, they were exchanging kisses and loving words. If Michael had a camera, or if he could draw, he would save it forever. 

He didn't, and he couldn't, though, so he was left panicking. Michael Clifford, human mocking-machine, was watching two of his best friends kiss. Not even in a sexual way, which they could write off as necessity or something like that. No, this was straight-up love. There's no doubt about it. 

What the fuck was he supposed to do? He would make fun of anyone for this. Absolutely anyone. They were so *gross* together, all on top of each other with their smiley kisses. But… They hadn't told him. For whatever reason, the wanted it a secret. 

It was a pretty easy decision really. It was 5 days before Christmas and he hadn't gotten them the best gifts, truth be told. 

He went back to his room, and loudly coughed on his way down the stairs this time. By the time he could see the couple again, they were sheepishly parted, looking slightly red and still totally in love. 

It was cold out, but Michael’s heart was beyond warm. When they decided to tell them, whenever that was, he could tease them. They were perfect for each other, clearly. He couldn't wait to let them know that. Couldn't wait to see them together without reservation. Until then, though, he was happy to forget about all of this. Call it a Christmas miracle.


End file.
